Along with other Covid-19 initiatives to combat the crisis, Shakti initiated a hotline with its pool of inhouse doctors to provide consultation and necessary information on COVID-19 as well as other medical services over phone calls. The health program deployed essential staffs coordinating all its programs to map government and private isolation, quarantine and COVID-19 treatment centers across all its areas. Updated information on the centers were disseminated across its members and the community through both the hotline and the staffs.
The hotline played a significant role in providing the medical support with continuous follow-up of COVID-19 affected patients, disseminating information on the measure of being safe and procedures of isolation or quarantine with necessary treatment support. From June 2020 to June 2021, the hotline has supported approximately 13,625 people.
The hotline is equipped with both general and specialist doctors providing services from 9 AM to 10 PM daily and providing consultation as well as following up on the patients who called for the services. Since inception, around 70% of the call received by the hotline was regarding COVID-19 related issues and the hotline doctors proactively handled the cases with utmost care, proper counseling and treatment consultation.